Yes it was.
IIRC one of the arrestees saw it happen and got the word out.
The Feds did it to get the leaders out of the picture, and if necessary to show the rest of the group how serious they are. So now there are multiple militia type groups, with a leadership catastrophe, and a man dead. Who takes charge? What do they do?
Instead of the Feds just dropping it, or at least investigating it, or commuting the sentences, or some type of compromise with one of the reasonable leaders who probably aren’t going to be reasonable anymore you cannot predict what is going to happen.