Adnan Syed of Serial podcast to face new trial on all charges

There were many questions over Mr Syed’s legal representation at the time of his conviction

Adnan Syed leaves the Baltimore City Circuit Courthouse in Baltimore, Maryland February 5, 2016 (Reuters)

Adnan Syed, whose murder conviction has been at the centre of the crime podcast Serial, has been granted a new trial after a ruling by the Maryland Court of Special Appeals.

Mr Syed was convicted in 2000 of killing his high school sweetheart, Hae Min Lee, and leaving her body in a shallow grave in a northwest Baltimore park. He was 17 at the time.

The case gained international attention when Serial focused on it during the podcast’s first season.

The show became an instant sensation, attracting millions of listeners and becoming the fastest podcast to reach 5m downloads and streams in iTunes' history.

A judge vacated Mr Syed’s conviction in June 2016 after determining that his defence attorney at the time had not effectively represented him or cross-examined the state on key evidence.

Prosecutors appealed to the Maryland Court of Special Appeals, the state’s intermediate appeals court.

A three-judge panel on Thursday upheld the lower court’s ruling granting him a new trial.