A Japanese man accused of stabbing 19 disabled people to death pleaded not guilty on Wednesday in a dramatic trial session interrupted when he seemed to put something in his mouth, struggled with court officials and lay on the floor writhing.
![Japanese man pleads not guilty to killing 19 due to mental health](https://media.zenfs.com/en-US/reuters.com/5745e972dc15b6233e571f5a7ccb108c)
Satoshi Uematsu, 29, a former care home worker accused of killing 19 disabled people and wounding 26 in a care center in 2016 - one of post-war Japan's worst mass killings - was removed from the court and did not return when the trial resumed.
Before the interruption, Uematsu's lawyer said Uematsu acknowledged details of the indictment were true, but he has a psychiatric disorder that led to diminished capacity at the time of the incident.