Past Perfect or Simple Past

Is the past perfect needed in the following sentence?

The man was arrested because he stole a car.
Do you have to use /had stolen/?

Does the word "because" make it unnecessary to use the past perfect? Logically, a cause preceeds an effect making the order of events clear.

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You are correct. :) The word "because" makes the order of events crystal clear so you could say it in the simple past.