(AP) - FBI agents and police raided three apartmentsin New York City before dawn Monday during an investigation of aman suspected of being an al-Qaida associate.

The searches came after the man, who was under surveillance forpossible links to the terror network, visited New York City overthe weekend and left the area, Rep. Peter King of New York saidafter receiving a briefing on the operation from federal lawenforcement officials.

Sen. Charles Schumer of New York, who also was briefed Monday,said a terrorist attack was not believed to be imminent. He addedthat the law enforcement action was unrelated to President BarackObama's visit to the city Monday.

New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne confirmed thatsearches were conducted in the borough of Queens by agents of ajoint terrorism task force.

Residents on Monday described officers armed with searchwarrants swarming their immigrant neighborhood at about 2:30 a.m.Afghanistan native Akbari Amanullah said when he arrived home fromwork afterward, he was told that one of his roommates had beenhauled away.

No arrests were announced. Neither the FBI nor the NYPD woulddiscuss the whereabouts of the al-Qaida suspect or whether anyonewas being held for questioning in New York.