'Serial' killer: Podcast subject granted chance to have murder case re-examined

The convict who was the subject of the popular Serial podcast is set to have part of the murder case against him re-examined.

Adnan Syed was convicted of the murder of his ex-girlfriend and fellow student Hae Min Lee, who disappeared in January 1999, but has always maintained he is innocent.

A Baltimore judge has now reopened "post conviction proceedings" and will hear new evidence about Mr Syed's whereabouts around the time of Ms Lee's disappearance.

The move is not a retrial and there is so far no date set for the new hearing, but it is the closest Mr Syed has come to having his conviction officially scrutinised and, his lawyers hope, eventually overturned.

Ahead of the announcement Mr Syed's lawyer tweeted that there was to be "major news" on the case.

Mr Syed, who is serving a life sentence, was the subject of a hugely popular 12-episode investigative podcast call Serial, presented by journalist Sarah Koenig.

The show questioned his murder conviction, which appeared to be based largely on evidence of a single witness and location data taken from mobile phone towers.

The wide popularity of the show heightened interest in a case that might otherwise have had little resonance outside of Baltimore.