Former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has pledged to stand firm until his “last breath” against the military coup that led to his removal in July.

On Wednesday, Mostafa Atteyah, one of Morsi’s lawyers, said the toppled president held a telephone conversation with his family for the first time since the Egyptian military detained him.

During the conversation, Morsi told his family that he would “remain steadfast to the last breath," Turkey’s Anadolu news agency cited a source close to the deposed president’s family as saying.

According to the source, Morsi still considers himself as the North African country’s “legitimate leader.”

Morsi’s phone conversation with his family came after Egypt’s state TV reported on September 14 that the deposed president would stand trial on charges of “incitement to murder and violence” in December 2012, when fatal clashes erupted between his supporters and opponents in the capital Cairo.

Tension has intensified in Egypt since July 3 when the Egyptian army removed Morsi from office. The army also suspended the constitution and dissolved the parliament.

Hundreds of protesters, mostly Morsi’s supporters, were killed or wounded during the deadly violence that broke out afterwards.

Egyptian security forces have waged a wide crackdown on Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood party. More than 2,000 members of the Brotherhood have been arrested since Morsi's ouster, among them the movement’s supreme leader, Mohamed Badie.