Mohamed Ali calls on Spanish government for protection after revealing 'Sisi corruption'
Mohamed Ali calls on Spanish government for protection after revealing 'Sisi corruption'
Former Egyptian contractor Mohamed Ali has alleged that Sisi and the military appropriated millions in public funds to build an enormous palace and several lavish villas.
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Mohamed Ali's allegations went viral earlier this month [YouTube]
Exiled Egyptian businessman Mohamed Ali has called on the Spanish government to protect him from the Egyptian security services just days after his allegations of widespread corruption in the country sparked nationwide protests.
The Spain-based Egyptian exile began releasing videos on YouTube in early September that quickly went viral on social media, with some Egyptians referring to Ali's broadcasts as "better than Netflix".
Ali, formerly a construction tycoon allied with Egypt's military, alleged that President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had misappropriated millions of dollars in public funds to build a colossal palace and a number of luxury villas.
The accusations fuelled mass uproar and ultimately sparked unprecedented protests in Cairo, Suez and other Egyptian cities last week.
Ali has since called for a "million-man march" calling on Sisi to step down next Friday.
In a fresh video released on Monday night, the former contractor urged the Spanish authorities to protect him, expressing fears that the Egyptian security services had dispatched agents to the country to go after him in response to the allegations.
Ali described himeslf as having been "on the run" across the country for the past few weeks.
Read more: Mohamed Ali: The businessman-turned-actor who called for Egypt protests
"I hold the Spanish authorities fully responsible for my life," the exile wrote in a tweet.
"Some dirty officers in Egypt agreed with some lowlife people here in Spain to kill me," Ali said, accusing the Spanish government of sharing his location with Sisi's regime.
Social media users have also begun to call on the Spanish government to protect Ali from a Jamal Khashoggi-style murder.
More than 650 people have been detained since Friday in what has been dubbed the "Palacegate" revolution.
Among those detained is award-winning human rights lawyer Mahienour El-Massry.
Cairo has launched an anti-corruption trial against two unnamed officials in response to the protests, and Sisi has reportedly been mulling a cabinet reshuffle to assuage the public.
Ali's allegations however describe corruption as reaching to the top echelons of the military, including Sisi and his wife.
Egyptian lawyer Leila Maklad has filed a request with the country's Attorney General to see Ali stripped of his Egyptian nationality, local media reported.
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