One of the largest anti-American protests in years turned deadly in Kabul Wednesday, with as many as five protesters reported shot dead by police and a neighborhood shut down by rioting. The demonstration started after a local mullah, or Islamic preacher, gathered a crowd at about 6 a.m. on the eastern outskirts of Kabul to denounce the reported burnings of Qurans in the U.S. Though a Florida Christian preacher suspended his well-publicized plan to hold a public burning of Islam's holiest book on Sept. 11, Afghan and regional media reported in recent days that some Qurans have since been torched by other anti-Islamic groups in the U.S. The demonstration grew in size as protesters marched toward Kabul's center, with police officials estimating the crowd at about 8,000 people. "In the beginning it was peaceful. But after the mullah finished the speech, the protesters started throwing rocks at the police," said an Afghan eyewitness. As the demonstration turned violent, the protesters set tires on fire, blocking major roads, and started chanting slogans against the U.S. and President Hamid Karzai. Some even waved white Taliban flags as the mob ripped from the streets the campaign posters of candidates running in the Sept. 18 parliamentary elections. At least 35 policemen were injured in the riot and 10 protesters wounded, two critically, said Zemarai Bashary, a spokesman for the Ministry of Interior. Afghan media outlets such as the popular Tolo TV network reported five protesters dead, and one of the eyewitnesses said he saw at least one dead body. Mr. Bashary said he couldn't confirm any fatalities. Though Afghan police said they only fired into the air, an Afghan eyewitness said he saw several protesters bleeding from gunshot wounds. The mullah behind the demonstration is a former commander in the militia of Abdul Rasul Sayaf, a conservative power broker and former warlord who once backed Osama Bin Laden but currently is allied with President Karzai, according to police at the scene and the eyewitness. Mr. Sayaf is running for a seat in Saturday's parliamentary elections, as are several of his supporters. The Taliban have vowed to disrupt the elections, denouncing them as a foreign-inspired ploy aiming to extend "the occupation of our country." In a separate incident, another Kabul-based mullah was arrested with three Afghans on Wednesday for planning "a rocket-propelled grenade attack during the upcoming elections," a statement from the U.S.-led coalition forces said. Widespread violence threatens to undermine the election and result in a lower voter turnout than in years' past. Last year's fraud-ridden presidential election saw roughly 35% of Afghans vote. (WSJ)