FBI agents hunting for explosives yesterday raided the Colorado home of a suspected al Qaeda bomb-maker from Queens — while the nation’s top cop insisted there is no “imminent” threat of an attack.
The feds completely evacuated the gated Aurora apartment complex where Afghan émigré Najibullah Zazi lives before sending in an evidence-collection team in hazmat protective outfits.
A search warrant was executed and the premises were cleared for “safety reasons,” said FBI Special Agent Kathy Wright. Boxes and bags were removed.
Zazi was not home at the time and has not been charged.
Yesterday afternoon, the FBI also raided the Aurora home of Zazi’s aunt and uncle. The owners of the home have prior addresses in Queens as well.
The surprise raid came as FBI Director Robert Mueller in Washington told the Senate: “I do not believe there is imminent danger from that particular investigation.”
Zazi, a 24-year-old who once sold coffee from a cart in Queens, told The Post hours earlier that he had no idea why he’s become the focus of an interstate terror investigation.
“I really don’t know what this all about. I’m trying to understand it myself,” said Zazi, who added he plans to apply for US citizenship.
“I came here with my family to work for a better life and I love this country myself,” he said, adding he feels a “little scared” by all the attention.
Zazi, a green-card holder who has been in the United States since 1999, was meeting with his attorney, Art Folsom, when agents descended on the apartment complex.
In the home were two women and Zazi’s younger brother, who were driven away in a government SUV.
On Monday, agents raided three Queens homes visited by Zazi to search for bomb-making materials. Nine empty backpacks and several cellphones were confiscated.
Investigators feared Zazi, now an airport-shuttle bus driver, was involved in some kind of coordinated bomb attack.
At least six homes in Queens with connections to Zazi remain under around-the-clock surveillance, sources said.
“Every step we take raises more questions than answers,” said a source familiar with the investigation.
Additional reporting by Murray Weiss and Edmund DeMarche