Gunmen massacre Coptic Christians in Egypt

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Masked gunmen massacred Coptic Christians, including children, on this bus south of Cairo. A policeman and a priest stand outside the bus, Minya, Egypt, May 26, 2017. (Minya Governorate Media office via AP)

Fighter jets from Egypt have crossed the border and bombed militant bases in eastern Libya, according to Egypt's president. The strike was in response to a deadly attack on a bus carrying Coptic Christians south of Cairo Friday.

Masked gunmen killed at least 28 people and wounded 22, the Egyptian Ministry said. The bus was traveling on the road to the St. Samuel Monastery in the Minya governorate, about 140 miles south of the Egypt's capital.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but President Donald Trump is blaming "evil organizations of terror" and a "thuggish ideology" for the attack.

In a strongly worded statement, Trump refers to the "merciless slaughter of Christians" and says a "wound is inflicted upon humanity" every time innocent blood is spilled.  He says Friday's attack on a bus taking the worshippers to a monastery south of Cairo should bring nations together to crush "evil organizations of terror."

Trump adds that the U.S. stands with the Egyptian people in the fight against terrorism.

"I direct my appeal to President Trump: I trust you, your word and your ability to make fighting global terror your primary task," President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said in a televised speech hours after the attack.

The U.N. Security Council issued a statement condemning the "heinous and cowardly terrorist attack" on the bus and offered condolences to the families of the victims.

"The members of the Security Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security," Council President Elbio Rosselli of Uruguay said in the statement. "The members of the Security Council reiterated that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed."

Pope Francis sent a condolence message to the Egyptian president, the AP reported, saying that he will continue his "intercession for peace and reconciliation" throughout Egypt.

On Palm Sunday, ISIS claimed responsibility for attacks that took place during celebrations at Coptic Christian churches in Egyptian cities. The bombings killed at least 44 people and wounded more than 100.

With the Associated Press