If they had a specific recipient in mind, they would have just killed that person.
Most likely, they have several people in mind and are not sure who the next opponent will be. And the next opponent could very well be somebody they have never suspected.
A well-publicized assassination will silence all potential opponents for a while. There is a point of diminishing returns for such actions however. That point is when internal factional disputes are resolved by killing of disfavored organization members. Those present as clumsy staged false-flag operations blamed on outside opposition groups.
It does not appear that we have reached that point yet.
I agree in principle but these days a person can have a dead man switch to release info automatically. Assange perfected that at one point and I believe that is the reason he is still alive. Even though he is border line bat crap crazy.