8th death confirmed after London attacks

Police arrested a 30-year-old man in east London in connection to the lethal attack on London Bridge, and were searching his home on Wednesday as the death toll from the weekend rampage rose to eight.

Authorities confirmed the death toll had risen after police searching for a French man missing since the attack said they hadrecovered a body from the River Thames.

We are paying a heavy cost in these attacks. French President Emmanuel Macron

The force said formal identification has not yet taken place, but Xavier Thomas'snext of kin had been informed.

French President Emmanuel Macron said later a third French victimhas been identified. He did not refer to the victim by name.

"We are paying a heavy cost in these attacks," Macron said.

Thomas, 45, was walking with his girlfriend over the bridge when the attack began on Saturday night.

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Police said earlier that witness accounts suggested Thomas might have been thrown into the river.

Thomas' girlfriend was struck and seriously injured by the van.

A Canadian woman,Christine Archibaldof Castlegar, B.C, was also killed in the attack.About 50 others were wounded.

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Two men are now in custody on suspicion of violating the Terrorism Act. They have not been identified or charged. All others who had been arrested have been released without facing charges.

London officials said a large part of the outer cordon of the crime scene had reopened. Borough Market, a popular gathering place, remains closed as more evidence is gathered.

The attack, and prior attacks in Manchester and near Parliament in London, have prompted Prime Minister Theresa May to call for tougher counter-terrorism laws even if it means changing human rights protections.

Reaction to the attack has dominated the final days of campaigning before Thursday's general election, with opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn and others criticizing May for cutting police numbers by roughly 20,000 during her tenure as home secretary.

The attackers first drove a rented van into a crowd and then jumped out and randomly stabbed people they encountered.

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Police killed all three attackers.

At least two of the men were known to British intelligence and law enforcement officials, raising questions about whether anything could have been done to prevent the assault.

Police have named the attackers as Khurum Butt, 27, who had been known for his extremist views; 30-year-old Rachid Redouane, also known as Rachid Elkhdar; and Youssef Zaghba, a 22-year-old Italian national of Moroccan descent who was reportedly working in a London restaurant.

Italian authorities said Zaghba had been stopped and questioned in Italy but had not been charged with any crime. Italian officials said suspicions about him had been shared with British authorities.