The Palestinian Authority said Wednesday that it has launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Jenin Gov. Kadoura Musa.

The 60-year-old Musa died of a heart attack early Wednesday shortly after unidentified gunmen opened fire at his house in the city.

No one was hurt in the pre-dawn attack, which was apparently carried out by disgruntled Fatah gunmen from the Jenin refugee camp, residents told The Jerusalem Post.

Tensions have been mounting over the past few months between the PA and the gunmen from the refugee camp, the residents said.

They pointed out that a number of gunmen recently opened fire at PA security officers who tried to arrest Fatah activists inside the camp.

Last month, PA policemen shot and killed a local man who was wanted for a series of criminal offenses.

Hussein al-Araj, director of PA President Mahmoud Abbas’s bureau, confirmed that the governor’s house had been attacked with gunfire. He said that following the incident, Musa suffered a massive heart attack that led to his immediate death.

Before his death, the governor joined PA policemen who conducted a manhunt in a bid to capture the assailants, Araj said.

During the chase, Musa complained of severe pain in the chest and was rushed to Martyr Khalil Suleiman Hospital in Jenin, where he was pronounced dead.

PA leaders strongly condemned the shooting incident and vowed to punish the culprits.

Tayeb Abdel Rahim, a senior aide to Abbas, blamed the attackers for Musa’s death and accused them of working to restore anarchy and lawlessness to Jenin.

The PA security forces have been instructed to use an iron fist against anyone who breaks the law and tampers with residents’ security, he said.

Abdel Rahim said that lawlessness only serve the interests of Israel.

Musa, he added, was leading the fight against lawlessness and criminals; and for that he paid with his life.

Musa was a senior Fatah member who spent 12 years in Israeli prison in the 1970s and 1980s. He was appointed governor of Jenin in 2004.

Musa has been credited with restoring law and order in Jenin, and was known for his relentless efforts to restrain Fatah gangs in Jenin and the nearby refugee camp. He was also known for his iron fist policy against Hamas and Islamic Jihad members. (© 1995-2011, The Jerusalem Post 05/03/12)