Since 2015, Germany has witnessed three major right-wing terrorist attacks conducted by individual attackers outside any extremist group. However, as current research primarily focuses on extremist...Show moreSince 2015, Germany has witnessed three major right-wing terrorist attacks conducted by individual attackers outside any extremist group. However, as current research primarily focuses on extremist group dynamics and identities, academia lacks research into individual-level justifications for terrorist violence and into German right-wing extremism. Thus, applying the psychological theory of moral disengagement results in a better understanding of individual terrorist attackers. Furthermore, applying subcultural theory can help understand the cultural context of such justifications and the prevalence to which the perpetrator is referring to values outside a socially accepted framework. A content analysis integrates the two theoretical frameworks into the data gathered from the notes of the trial against the Halle attacker, while the thematic analysis identifies reoccurring themes to link them to subcultural theory. The findings illustrate how the Halle attacker made use of moral disengagement mechanisms to construct self-defence narratives, and how his argumentation relied primarily on subcultural themes, attempting to frame them as encultured to promote his views. Thus, this research contributes to a wider academic debate on individual-level terrorist justifications and facilitates a better understanding of radicalisation processes.Show less