CAIRO — Egypt's military ruler says his country is facing unprecedented "grave dangers" and warns the military will not surrender to attempts to hurt the nation.

Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi's comments published in the media on Wednesday appear to be a thinly veiled warning to the activists behind last year's Jan. 25-Feb. 11 uprising, who are now calling on the military to immediately step down.

Activists plan to stage a wave of protests to mark next week's first anniversary of the start of the popular uprising that toppled authoritarian leader Hosni Mubarak and brought the military to power.

They claim that the current ruling military council led by Tantawi, who was Mubarak's defense minister for 20 years, are an extension of the ousted president's regime.

The Associated Press