A trainee barrister who was allegedly caught driving a car bomb towards Northern Ireland in a suspected New IRA operation spent time in Syria, her lawyer said. Isobella Perrie Sullivan, 25, was arrested after Irish police said they made an 'extremely significant seizure' of a device on Wednesday.The force said the device, which was made from military-grade plastic, could have caused significant damage. It is understood to be the most sophisticated bomb seized by police since the Troubles. A man in his 40s was also arrested in the major investigation, with Irish news outlets reporting that the man was a suspected member of the New IRA's Dublin branch. In an intelligence-led swoop, the Garda's Special Detective Unit stopped the vehicle in transit near the Irish border on Wednesday afternoon on the N2 south of Carrickmacross, County Monaghan. Sullivan, from Clane, Co Kildare, was granted bail on Friday after appearing before a special sitting of Trim District Court in Co Meath charged with possession of explosives.It has now emerged her solicitor Mr Gavin Booth told the court she was a previous member of a 'political group' and had spent some time in Syria. Isobella Perrie Sullivan, 25, was arrested after Irish police said they made an 'extremely significant seizure' of a device on Wednesday Sullivan, from Clane, Co Kildare, was granted bail on Friday after appearing before a special sitting of Trim District Court in Co Meath charged with possession of explosives - she is pictured leavingMr Booth, however, said Sullivan had stepped away from politics as she focused on her studies as a barrister. Sullivan, reportedly known as Perrie, was a student at ATU Donegal in Letterkenny and graduated last year with a law degree.Mr Booth said his client had been asked to take a bag to the north, and was not aware of its contents. He added Sullivan, who lives with her father, had been 'manipulated'. He said her parents are 'devastated' and can't comprehend this week's events. He added, if she was granted bail, they would keep her on a 'tight rein and ensure she abides by all conditions'.Judge Raymond Finnegan granted Sullivan bail on Friday provided she obtained a €15,000 (£12,800) independent surety. She, who was wearing a pink White Fox Boutique hoodie at the time, was also ordered to surrender her passport and keep to a strict curfew. The male suspect remained at a Garda station in the Dublin area on Friday nightGarda Commissioner Justin Kelly confirmed details of the operation as he spoke to media at a Garda graduation event in Co Tipperary on Friday. Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly spoke to reporters on Friday in Templemore, Co Tipperary