US national security officials are scrutinising an Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund’s planned $3bn takeover of New York-based Fortress Investment Group amid concerns in Washington over the United Arab Emirates’ ties to China, people close to the situation told the Financial Times.

The review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, an inter-governmental agency that vets whether deals can harm national security, is in its early stages and a decision is not expected for several months, the people added.

Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala agreed to buy a majority stake in Fortress, which manages about $46bn in assets and specialises in distressed debt investing, in May from Japan’s SoftBank Group. Mubadala, which is run by chief executive Khaldoon al-Mubarak, said it intended to close the deal in the first quarter of 2024, subject to regulatory approvals.

Mubadala and Fortress declined to comment. The US Treasury, which oversees the Cfius process, said it did not comment on transactions that it “may or not be reviewing” but added that it was “committed to taking all necessary actions within its authority to safeguard US national security”.

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