Watch dramatic moment a GoPro saves reporter's life by stopping an Isis sniper bullet

A GoPro Hero action camera has lived up to its name after it managed to save the life of a journalist by deflecting an Isis sniper bullet.

The gadgets are no strangers to capturing dramatic footage but when a clip surfaced whereby the camera, worn around the neck of Iraqi journalist Ammar Alwaely, was shattered as it was hit by a speeding bullet, the rugged camera became star of the show.

The GoPro, which ironically come with the Hero model name, was positioned in the perfect place on the lapel of his bulletproof vest, to deflect the bullet leaving only a shattered plastic casing causing only a few cuts to the face of Alwaely. The fateful incident was captured by Sun video reporter Owen Holdaway who was filming in Mosul and had given the old GoPro model to Alwaely only days before.

The video shows the breathtaking moment shows the pair filming a bullet-ridden vehicle when, in a flash, the shoulder area of Alwaely emits a puff of smoke and the pair drop to the ground to take cover. A slow-motion replay shows the blur of an incoming bullet deflecting off the GoPro and moments later Alwaely standing up in disbelief.

"After 20 minutes, and obviously feeling a little better, he turned to me and said 'thanks, for the GoPro Owen....can you get me another from Erbil (capital of Iraqi Kurdistan)," Holdaway told the Sun.

"I just shook my head and said, 'Sure, mate.'"

Being an older GoPro, it was fitted within the rugged plastic casing to keep it protected against the elements and drops, had it been the newer Hero 5 model that doesn't come with an external housing it could have been a different story.