Yeah, I get that. However, the optics of having a successful “martyr” symbol is very, very dangerous. A wide scope of narrative means difficult to control. Difficult to control introduces “motivator to action” symbols among a, I think, specific (and quite populous) demographic (think of all the young males with zero purpose, waiting to seize on an opportunity for a real life Mr Robot, for example)… “well if he could do it, get away with it, AND become a ’hero’, what’s stopping me from doing the same?”
Having someone, anyone, buys time to craft the narrative and gauge public sentiment and, most importantly, dampen the probability of a revolutionary ’spark’ if you will.
Obviously we don’t have enough information here. It very well could be the dude they have in custody. I am only sharing one possible theory based off my experience and observations. And there are a number of very suspect observations here that are in line with narrative management.