Donald Trump’s secret Christmas visit to Iraq was rumbled by a plane spotter in Sheffield.

As Air Force One headed to the Middle East on the unannounced mission Alan Meloy looked out of his kitchen window and noticed a jet trail in the sky over northern England.

Mr Meloy, an IT project manager, said: "I could see a trail coming towards me and thought ‘Let’s have a look at what’s on the end of that’.

"Then I looked through a viewfinder and thought this is worth photographing. It’s not just a normal airliner."

He immediately recognised the aircraft as a Boeing VC-25.

There are only two in the world and they are used to carry the US president. When the president is on board the call sign for the…