ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the case of the National Socialist Underground (NSU) as a challenge for political research and examines it as a terrorist organisation or rather as a terrorist cell. Amid an increasing body of literature comprising journalistic investigations and politically driven accounts, there is certainly a demand for scientific analysis. The crimes of the NSU came as a shock for the German public and sparked a debate on new forms of right-wing terrorism. The specific features of the NSU will then be elaborated by comparing it with terrorism of the extreme right in other European countries. The concept of "terrorism" is highly disputed in the social sciences because of its normative connotations and frequent political instrumentalisation. The terrorism of the NSU heavily influenced German politics: seven parliamentary investigation committees were formed, 15 several presidents of security services resigned and a new debate on racism and on the integration of immigrants was sparked.
