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A Turkish teenager has been released from custody after his arrest for allegedly insulting the country’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, caused uproar, the Guardian reported.

The 16-year-old student, Mehmet Emin Altunses, was taken away from his school on Wednesday and jailed for making a speech during a student protest in which he reportedly said Erdoğan was regarded as the “thieving owner of the illegal palace.”

It was a reference to a government corruption scandal as well as a controversial 1,150-room palace Erdoğan inaugurated in October.

A court in the central Turkish city of Konya agreed to free the boy from police custody on Friday, after dozens of lawyers petitioned for his release.

He was met by his parents as he left the main courthouse building in the city, the CNN-Turk channel reported.

His speech was delivered on Wednesday in Konya, a bastion of the ruling Islamic-rooted Justice and Development party (AKP).

The boy, who was arrested by police at school, denied links with a political party but confirmed he had made the statements in question.

Despite being released he still remains accused of insulting Erdoğan and faces trial at a date yet to be specified. He risks up to four years in prison if convicted.