Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ban on Twitter was shaken within hours as President Abdullah Gul tweeted that it was "unacceptable."

Mr Erdogan threatened to "rip out the roots" of the social media tool after recordings appearing to incriminate him and senior colleagues in corruption spread via the site.

Users attempting to access Twitter saw instead a notice from the telecoms authority citing court orders banning it.

But numerous successful tweets were sent by people who managed to get around the attempted shutdown, including President Gul - an ally of Mr Erdogan - who issued a series of tweets opposing the ban and expressing hope that it would not last.

Turkey's lawyers' association has asked courts to overturn the ban, saying it is unconstitutional and violates human rights laws.

But Transport, Maritime and Communications Minister Lutfi Elvan insisted his office was simply obeying court orders.

The ministry said Twitter had infringed on "personal rights and the confidentiality of private lives," a reference to corruption allegations which the government says cannot be made public as they are subject to an investigation.

Critics say the real reason the ruling Justice and Development Party wants the accusations kept under wraps is to boost its chances in forthcoming local elections.

But the ministry said the onus was on Twitter to "remove illegal content" and if it did so access would be restored.

"Turkey is not a country that bans the internet," Mr Elvan said, but added: "We have to stand together against insults and unlawfulness."