BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — A self-exiled businessman who claims to know the secrets of Egypt's ruling military says he's marshaling political groups to try to topple President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, despite the opposition movement's increasingly bleak prospects.

Speaking with The Associated Press, Mohamed Ali claims "all of the opposition groups outside of Egypt are now agreeing with me. This is the first time this has happened under el-Sissi's rule." He claims to be communicating with liberals, leftists and Islamists to oppose el-Sissi's government.

Ali, 45, pitches himself as a former government insider who witnessed high-level corruption and large-scale misuse of funds as a contractor.

His allegations, recorded in viral videos, ignited rare anti-government protests in September, which the regime swiftly crushed.

Now Ali is on a media blitz, seeking to inject momentum into his cause.