diff --git a/core/org.eclipse.cdt.core.tests/parser/org/eclipse/cdt/core/parser/tests/ast2/AST2CPPTests.java b/core/org.eclipse.cdt.core.tests/parser/org/eclipse/cdt/core/parser/tests/ast2/AST2CPPTests.java
index f685500cbea..65c9ce2333b 100644
--- a/core/org.eclipse.cdt.core.tests/parser/org/eclipse/cdt/core/parser/tests/ast2/AST2CPPTests.java
+++ b/core/org.eclipse.cdt.core.tests/parser/org/eclipse/cdt/core/parser/tests/ast2/AST2CPPTests.java
@@ -11666,6 +11666,11 @@ public class AST2CPPTests extends AST2CPPTestBase {
 		parseAndCheckBindings();
 	}
 
+	//	__attribute__((section(".example"))) alignas(4) static int waldo;
+	public void testAlignasAfterAttribute_538615() throws Exception {
+		parseAndCheckBindings(getAboveComment(), CPP, true /* use GNU extensions */);
+	}
+	
 	// int operator "" _A(unsigned long long i) { return 1; }
 	// int operator "" _B(long double d) { return 1; }
 	// int operator "" _C(const char* s, unsigned int sz) { return sz; }
diff --git a/core/org.eclipse.cdt.core/parser/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/core/dom/parser/cpp/GNUCPPSourceParser.java b/core/org.eclipse.cdt.core/parser/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/core/dom/parser/cpp/GNUCPPSourceParser.java
index 4ec263f939c..b330ed8b6f3 100644
--- a/core/org.eclipse.cdt.core/parser/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/core/dom/parser/cpp/GNUCPPSourceParser.java
+++ b/core/org.eclipse.cdt.core/parser/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/core/dom/parser/cpp/GNUCPPSourceParser.java
@@ -2604,7 +2604,9 @@ public class GNUCPPSourceParser extends AbstractGNUSourceCodeParser {
 	 */
 	@Override
 	protected IASTDeclaration declaration(DeclarationOptions option) throws EndOfFileException, BacktrackException {
-		List<IASTAttributeSpecifier> attributes = attributeSpecifierSeq();
+		// Allow GNU-style attributes both before standard attribute / alignment specifiers, and after.
+		List<IASTAttributeSpecifier> attributes = __attribute_decl_seq(supportAttributeSpecifiers, supportDeclspecSpecifiers);
+		attributes = CollectionUtils.merge(attributes, attributeSpecifierSeq());
 		attributes = CollectionUtils.merge(attributes, __attribute_decl_seq(supportAttributeSpecifiers, supportDeclspecSpecifiers));
 
 		switch (LT(1)) {