“The people want Sisi and the people’s will shall prevail,” Mubarak was quoted as saying during an interview at the armed forces hospital in Cairo.

Speaking about his relations with the Persian Gulf countries, Mubarak reportedly told the journalist that since his ousting nearly three years ago, no ruler has contacted him from any of the PGCC countries, not even to check on his health.

He did say, however, that he still felt “great admiration and gratitude” towards the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan al-Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates and his children, “for their continuous support to Egypt and its people,” mentioning his name several times throughout the interview.

The Kuwati journalist Fajer al-Saeed hinted there may have been more secrets revealed during the interview, writing on her official Twitter page on Thursday, “The ousted president keeps many important secrets that were never revealed about Kuwait’s invasion, before and after.” She later deleted the tweet.

Seemingly biding his time until his notorious legacy is forgotten, Mubarak reportedly said as soon as his innocence is declared, he will “perform Umrah to thank God for his innocence, and will visit Kuwait and other (Persian) Gulf countries to see his friends.”

Mubarak was Egypt’s fourth president whose nearly 30-year rule ended during the 2011 Egyptian revolution. Following 18 days of widespread protests calling for his removal, he announced his resignation on Feb. 11 of that year.

Since his acquittal from charges stemming from negligence for not giving orders to stop the killing of peaceful protestors during the revolution in August, he has largely stayed out of the public eye.

BA/BA