You say "hoping" but the quote reads to me like he's making sure they are prepared. Even Obama's staunchest critics don't actually think that the President of the US is hoping for a terrorist attack.
Power attacking (or planning to attack) its self to further it's agenda is not unprecedented. In the most famious case, it was the President that put a stop to the plan. See Operation Northwoods: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Northwoods and the Strategy of Tension.
