SPRINGFIELD – Searches of inmates’ cells after an assault on a correctional officer at the Menard prison turned up 21 homemade weapons, a prison union official said Friday.

Correctional Sgt. Kevin Hirsch said that tactical officers who searched prison cells reported finding 21 plastic or metal objects altered in a way that could cause injury. The 29-year veteran said it’s the most he’s seen found in a shakedown since the 1990s.

Department of Corrections spokeswoman Stacey Solano countered that 13 weapons were discovered in the cell-by-cell check that followed the Sunday attack by two inmates. She would not describe the types of objects found.